PASADENA MAN SENTENCED FOR DEFRAUDING RENTON ON-LINE GAMING COMPANY
Man Used Stolen Identities to Order and Resell Goods From Wizards of the Coast On-Line Store

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 16, 2007

AMIR SANDOVAL, 18, of Pasadena, California, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to three years supervised release for Access Device Fraud and Fraudulent Use of Another Person’s Identity. SANDOVAL executed a complex scheme involving the purchase of stolen credit card information, and the fraudulent purchase and sale of Wizards of the Coast merchandise. SANDOVAL was sentenced by U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour.

SANDOVAL pleaded guilty on May 18, 2007. According to the plea agreement, between April 2004, and September 2006, SANDOVAL purchased stolen credit card and identity information from on-line sources. Using that stolen account information, SANDOVAL opened or attempted to open new accounts at the Wizards of the Coast website. SANDOVAL would make purchases of merchandise related to the online game “Magic: The Gathering Online”, using techniques to mask the actual internet address of his computer. SANDOVAL would then resell the merchandise in online chat rooms or on e-Bay. Purchasers would pay SANDOVAL using Pay-pal or Western Union with the money going into accounts SANDOVAL had set up using stolen identities. In all more than 50 people had their credit card and identity information used illegally, for more than $18,000 in fraudulent online purchases.

SANDOVAL has agreed to pay Wizards of the Coast $18,430 in restitution.

The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kathryn Warma as part of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Computer Hacking and Internet Crimes (CHIPS) Task Force.

For additional information please contact Emily Langlie, Public Affairs officer for the United States Attorney’s Office, at (206) 553-4110.